Nestor Cortes

Nestor Cortes Jr.
(Hialeah Kid or Nasty Nestor)

Bats Right, Throws Right
Height 5' 11", Weight 205 lb.
High School Hialeah High School
Debut March 31, 2018

Born December 10, 1994 in Surgidero de Batabano, Mayabeque Cuba

Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Nestor Cortes began his professional career in 2013 after being taken by the New York Yankees in the 36th round of the 2013 amateur draft. Born in Cuba, he had moved to the United States at a young age and grown up in the Miami, FL area. In his first year as a pro, he had a 2.27 ERA with 38 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings and, in 2014, his mark was 2.26 and he again averaged more than a strikeout per inning. 2016 was his breakout campaign: in 106 innings between four levels, he was 11-4 with 115 strikeouts and a 1.53 ERA while allowing just 61 hits and 24 walks (0.802 WHIP). He reached Triple A for the first time that year (winning his lone start) and played in the Arizona Fall League. He was a Post-Season All-Star in 2015 and a Mid-Season All-Star in 2016.

He was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2017 Rule V Draft and made his major league debut with the O's on March 31, 2018, pitching two scoreless innings of relief against the Minnesota Twins. Cortes would be returned to the Yankees two weeks later, as the Orioles considered that he was not yet ready to spend a full year in the majors, as required for players coming out of the Rule V Draft. He spent the remainder of the year in the minors. The Yanks brought him up in 2019 for 33 appearances (including a start): in 66 2/3 innings, he finished 5-1, 5.67 with 69 strikeouts. After the season, he was traded to the Seattle Mariners for future considerations and spent the abbreviated 2020 season on the West Coast, going 0-1, 15.26 in 5 games.

Following his poor performance in 2020, Cortes became a free agent and returned to the Yankees for the third time. Seemingly out of nowhere, he became a solid contributor to the team in 2021, when he made 14 starts in 22 appearances, going 2-3, with an ERA of 2.90. His K/W ratio was an impressive 103/25. Most of his 93 innings came at a time when the Yankees were beset by injuries to their pitching staff and his contribution was a true godsend. He started 2022 in the Yankees' starting rotation, once again due to injuries to more celebrated pitchers, and his first two outings were excellent: he pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings, not walking anyone, in a 4-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on April 12th, then on April 17th added 5 scoreless innings against the Baltimore Orioles during which he struck out a career-high 12 batters and walked just one. In the 4th inning of the game, he struck out the side on 9 pitches, for an immaculate inning. However, he once again ended up with a no-decision as the Yankees lost the game, 5-0, in the late innings. On May 9th, he flirted with a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers, keeping them hitless until the 8th inning in a 1-0 win. Eli White broke up the bid with a one-out single, after which Nestor was removed from the game, ending up with another no-decision as the game was still scoreless at this late stage (the Yankees scored their lone run in the bottom of the 8th, gifting the win to Clay Holmes). On May 15th, he pitched 8 scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox to take over the American League ERA lead at 1.35. He continued to build his legend on May 26th with another outstanding performance, pitching into the 9th inning for the first time of his career in a 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. He was named to the American League team for the 2022 All-Star Game and pitched his first career shutout in his penultimate start on September 26th, blanking the Boston Red Sox, 2-0, in a game that ended after six innings. That effort was enough to give him a share of the major league lead for shutouts, as no pitcher managed to throw more than one that season. He finished the season at 12-4, 2.44 in 28 games, all starts, and a personal high of 158 1/3 innings. He made his postseason debut with two starts against the Cleveland Guardians in the Division Series. The second one, in Game 5 on October 18th, was dramatic as he started the game on short rest and gave the Yankees 5 innings of one-run ball. He was credited with the 5-1 win that sent his team to the ALCS. However, in his only start against the Houston Astros in Game 4, he had to leave the game in the 3rd inning after experiencing discomfort in his groin and surrendering a three-run homer to Jeremy Peña.

He was named a member of Team USA for the 2023 World Baseball Classic but pulled out just a few days after the announcement due to a pulled hamstring, an injury he had sustained while running sprints in preparation for spring training. Kyle Freeland took his spot on the roster. He was one of the few healthy starting pitchers for the Yankees when the 2023 season started and went 5-2 in 11 starts over the first two months of the season in spite of a relatively high ERA of 5.16. On June 6th, however, he was placed on the injured list with a shoulder strain, on the same day as Aaron Judge also went on the IL, for the second time that year in Judge's case, in what was a rather gloomy day for the team. He made it back to the mound on August 5th, when he pitched 4 strong innings in a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros. The Yankees had badly missed him and rushed his return to the mound, having him skip his last scheduled rehab start, so that he could return earlier to pitch for the struggling team. He ended the year at 5-2, 4.97 in 12 starts, logging 63 1/3 innings as the Yankees missed the postseason.

In 2024 he was back in good health and made 30 starts in 31 appearances for the Yankees, going 9-10, 3.77 with 162 strikeouts in 174 1/3 innings, his highest total to date. However, his last start came on September 18th, after which he missed the final two weeks of the season and the first two rounds of the postseason. The injury was characterized as a "left elbow flexor strain". The team did not miss him too much, as they finished with the best record in the American League and did not lack good starting pitching in his absence, but they were still relieved to see him return in time for their showdown with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 World Series.

Notable Achievements[edit]

AL All-Star (2022)
AL Shutouts Leader (2022)

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Nestor Cortes

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